“It’s either deal or none at all.”
That’s as far as Olivia Amor Cortes Ching, a young wife of a businessman and mother of two young boys, is concerned. Way back in her UST days, where she graduated with a Tourism degree, she would sell combs, hairpins and other knick-knacks to classmates. Even when she became one of the original models of the 26 K, the famous briefcase girls of the “Deal or No Deal” game show, she would sell to her fellow models.
“Even when I was already working with the show, I continued selling different items. But this time imported products na because my sister, who was already working as a flight attendant, would bring her varied items every month.” When she got a lot of orders, she became active online. That’s how she discovered the joys of convenient group buying sites. “Online shopping has always been my passion even as early as my Deal or No Deal days. I love online shopping because not only that you can buy items not commonly found in malls, you could buy items that you really want and something worth of what you paid for. So, I told myself that if I would have my own business, it must have something to do with e-commerce.”
The author with Olivia Amor Cortes Ching, founder/CEO ng DEAL4US
And so she did. Olive became the founder and CEO of DEALS4U (http://www.deals4u.ph/), the latest group buying site to hit online shopping. It’s a subsidiary of Verbosys Inc., which is headed by her brother, Owen. Together they just launched the DEALS4U website before members of the media today, May 23, 2013, at the REHUB Bar and Grillery in Eugenio Lopez Drive, Quezon City
From being a consumer and a merchant herself to being the conduit between then and the merchants, Olive commits DEALS4U to focus on giving consumers the best deals possible without sacrificing quality. Unlike other online shopping sites, she will actually provide not only the face but also the personal touch that offline shopping venues provide. Olive herself tests and checks the quality of the items before giving it a go-signal for posting. She is also well aware that merchants at time are forced to sacrifice quality to match the competitive (read: cheap) price range online. But to assure quality items, DEALS4U would rather offer it at a higher price and explain why it is so to their clients. One of the DEALS4U merchants, Jennifer Sevilla-Go of Lynelle Hair Fashion (selling wigs and hair extensions), attested to the delicate balance that Olive maintains between clients and merchants. “It’s easy to work with Olive. She takes care of both our customers and our business.”
Even without a credit card, one can buy from DEALS4U through the secure DragonPay system. One can pay cash through banks and even convenience stores. According to Robertson Chiang, COO of DragonPay, “No one can dispute cash purchases.” A scrupulous person could steal our credit card info. But no one can do that with our cash purchases. At this time when credit card fraud and identity theft are so challenging, one can be sure that his or her purchases via DEALS4U are safe. With DragonPay, it is like paying the merchant by yourself.
From being one of the most famous 26 K girls, Olive Ching will now be braving the competitive wave of e-commerce. “If you need something, I will find it for you.” That’s her firm assurance so every client would have the most awesome deals made affordable through DEALS4U (http://www.deals4u.ph/).
